Wash-board



{No Modl.)

' 0. E. SMITH.

WASH BOARD.-

Patented Apr. 7, 1891,

moemoz alto M421 The names warms 00., wo ro-uma, msumemu, n. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. SMITH, OF BETHANY, ILLINOIS.

WASH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,972, dated April '7, 1891.

Application filed May 15, 1890. Serial No. 351,861. (No model.) a

T0 610% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Bethany, in the county of Moultrie and Stateof Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wash-Boards; and I do hereby declare .the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in wash-boards; and it consists in a wash-board having its rubbingsurface formed of a series of transverse interlocking spiral coils which are held at their ends in recesses in the side pieces of the frame of the wash-board, the parts being rigidlysecured by transverse rods which pass through the upper and lower spiral coils, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a plan View of a wash-board constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view.

A refers to the frame of the wash-board, which is madeup of side piecesa a, connected to each other by a rear board I) and near their upper ends by transverse strips 8 and cl,which, taken in connection with the back 0, form a soap -boX. The strip (Z has its outer end rounded and projects slightly beyond the spiral coils at one end, While the opposite end extends nearly to the vertical board 0, so as to form or leave an opening f, through which the drippings from the soap-box can pass above and beyond the upper edge of the rear board I). The side pieces a a are cut away or recessed, as shown at g, so astoprovidespaces within which will lie the ends of the spiral coils B, which abut against the vertical walls of these recesses and are held against outward movement thereby.

0 refers to the brace-rods, which pass through the upper and lower spiral coils, the ends thereof being rigidly secured to the side pieces a a within the upper and lower ends of the recesses By the construction herein described I provide a wash-board which has a rubbing-surface made up of a series of spiral coils which are held rigid in the frame, and these coils are formed in the usual manner and are interlocked with each other, so as to form a comparatively rigid washing-surfacein which there is an absence of sharp angles. When the spirals are free, they will occupya space greater than the distance between the recesses, so that when placed between the side pieces they will be slightly compressed thereby, and the ends will lie within the recesses to prevent their coming in contact with the clothes. The bars which pass through the upper and lower coils longitudinally expand the coils. When a wash-board is thus constructed, it is not necessary to use a solid back board, as a tension caused by the lateral pressure of the coils and the rods 0 will provide a comparatively rigid structure.

I am aware that prior to my invention it has been proposed to provide a wash-board having its washing-surface composed of a series of spiral springs arranged longitudinally upon the board and adapted to bear when in use upon a solid backing, and I do not claim such construction as my invention, as it is not myintentioii to use springs; but the coils are so interlocked as to have but comparatively little spring movement. Such spring movement I consider objectionable, as it is likely to permit the clothes to catch and will not give the rigid surface required in practice.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- In a wash-board, the combination, with a frame consisting in part of side legsaa, having longitudinal recesses g on their inner sides, of a series of interlocking transverse circular coils parallel, as described, the circular ends of which lie in and are of adiaineter approximating the width of the siderecesses to fill said recesses and thus be retained thereon, and rods 0 0, passed through the upper and lower terminal coils and presenting the only positive connection between the coils and the frame and secured to said legs, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereofI affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. SMITH. Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. WILKINSON HUGH Soorr. 

